Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Committed To A Connected Digital Future

By MASSITA AHMAD SINGAPORE, June 26 (Bernama) -- The Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) Wednesday has committed to a connected digital future for the region by adopting the “Singapore Statement on Co-creating a Connected Digital Future in the Asia-Pacific”. APT, comprising of ministers who are responsible for telecommunication as well as Information and Communication Technology (ICT), has convened in the island republic for the two-day Asia-Pacific ICT Ministerial Meeting 2019 since Tuesday. Malaysia was represented by Minister of Communications and Multimedia Gobind Singh Deo. According to a joint statement issued after the meeting, the Singapore Statement sets out the vision of a connected digital future through the development of telecommunication and ICT in the Asia-Pacific region. The Asia-Pacific ICT Ministerial Meeting was last held in Brunei Darussalam in 2014. Over the past five years, the ICT development in the region according to the statement has shown remarkable improvements in accordance with key priority areas identified at the meeting. Cognisant of the rapidly evolving digital and ICT landscape, the ministers have identified five new Strategic Goals in the Singapore Statement to guide efforts to build a connected digital future in the Asia-Pacific region. Digital Transformation was one of the goals identified which aims to provide an enabling environment for telecommunication and ICT development through improved telecommunication and ICT connectivity, and access for citizens and businesses so as to accelerate the digital transformation of the economy and society, which will in turn contribute to socio-economic growth, innovation and better delivery of public services. Digital Trust was another goal identified which aims to encourage trusted and secured systems which promote the protection of data privacy, facilitate the free and secure flow of information and are resilient towards cyber threats so that people can engage in online activities with confidence and openly share information online. Three other goals were Digital Innovation and Creativity, Digital Community, and Digital Capacity Building and Partnerships. “The Singapore Statement will provide the guidelines for the next five years to lead the APT including all APT members and the APT Secretariat to co-create a connected digital future in the Asia-Pacific,” said the secretary general of APT, Areewan Haorangsi. “Concrete action plans will be drawn up through the Strategic Plan of the APT to be adopted by the subsequent sessions of the General Assembly while the implementation of the Plans will be closely monitored. "I believe this Singapore Statement will facilitate the promotion of widespread digital adoption in the region by providing fair and equitable access to ICT services for all citizens in our communities,” she said. The meeting was organised by the APT and hosted by the Ministry of Communications and Information and the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore, at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center here. Headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, APT has now 38 members, four associate members and 136 affiliate members. It was established in 1979 and is the only treaty-based intergovernmental organisation in the field of telecommunications and ICT created for the Asia-Pacific region. It has played a key role in fostering regional cooperation and facilitating developmental initiatives, forums and capacity building programmes to support these developments. -- BERNAMA